LETTER: Climate change no longer debatable

Writers of two recent letters denying global climate change should be thanked for keeping the issue in the news.

The perceived need to vehemently deny climate change, in response to a recent community comment, further demonstrates the importance of the problem.

Unfortunately, the content reads like talking points from a denialist website than a constructive dialogue.

Trust me, the center of global climate change discussion has moved well beyond questions about the link between increased greenhouse gas and observed global warming.

Some of these issues include: How do we create opportunities for development in poorer nations that break the link between human well-being and high carbon economies?

How do we accommodate an additional 2.4 billion people globally by 2050, while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions?

How do we shift away from seemingly inflexible social and technical systems that heavily depend upon fossil fuels?

How do we encourage individuals, organizations, and institutions to internalize an environmental consciousness so that it is part of daily decision making, while accommodating different values, goals, and lifestyles?

How do we plan adaptation strategies for the climate changes we're already committed to?

These are vexing problems that require widespread public thought, experimentation, and action. They combine environmental protection with a concern for human equality and well-being. They cannot be solved by scientists, engineers, or governments acting alone.

There may be room for some optimism.

What the denialists, disinterested, believers, alarmists, and everyone in between share, hopefully, is the common sense wisdom to reduce use of nonrenewable energy. Why continue down an increasingly expensive and risky path of dependence on fossil fuels with even the slightest chance that we're mucking up the well-being of our own and future generations?